Power control mechanism



March 15, 1938. A. Y. DODGE POWER CONTROL MECHANISM Filed March 8, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENToR.

,Qa/EL. )f 70055 WW Quy-f/ A TTORNEY March 15, 1938.

A. Y. DoDGE POWER CONTROL MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 8, 1934 Y 217055 WJ?? @ggz-r,

ATTO NEY R. m m m f D H 7 WJ. n 4 MT l Z a.: @Awww I. @HHM Z M 9 Patented Mar. 15, 1938 rownn. coNTnoL ivmcnmsM Adiel Y. Dodge, South Bend, Ind., assigner to Bendix Aviation Corporation,

South end,

Ind., a corporation of Delaware vApplication March d,

t Claims.

This inventionrelates to clutches, and more particularly to manually operable means for controlling the clutch. l

Broadly, the invention comprehends a. control A of a clutch of a motor vehicle which will require a minimum of effort to disengage the clutch. It is the principal object of the present inventionto provide an efficient and dependable clutch control mechanism requiring approximately a uni. 1o form pressure on the pedal when separating the driving and driven elements of the clutch and a progressively decreasing pressure after said separation, the same falling od'to a point where the pressure to maintain the clutch disengaged requires approximately the weight of a persons tout resting on the floor board. 'l'he'invention also contemplates the provision of a clutch control mechanism which may be easily adjusted to compensate tor clutch wear, which is positive in 2@ action, and which will not become locked to the od position.

A feature of the invention is a clutch operating pedal having a cam surface arranged to erigage an operating member, so thatv the required pressure on the pedal for operating the member will be uniform throughout the stroke of the pedal until the cam has passed the dead center, the parts being so proportioned that the clutch is at this time just disengaged, the cam surface being further shaped so that the required pedal pressure throughout the remainder of the stroke progressively decreases.

a further object of the invention is to provide a clutch. operating mechanism, whereby the clutch may be disengaged and held disengaged with a minimum of physical effort, together with means operative to insure a regulated engagement of the clutch in the event the driver should inadvertently release the clutch pedal too suddenly, or should his foot accidently slip ofi the clutch pedal while holding the same disengaged.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear 'from the following description ltaken in connection with the drawings, which form a.

part of this specification, and in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a clutch housing broken away to better illustrate the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail view of the op- V erating lever and clutch control lever members 5o of the embodiment disclosed in Figure i;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a clutch housing, 'partly broken away, illustrating a modied form of the invention; l

Figure .is`a View similar to that of Figure 3 55 illustrating a further modification;

1934, Serial No. HLSW im.. 1921-99) t Figure 5 is a sectional view substantially on lin t-t of Figure 4;

Figure o is a top plan view of the structure shown in Figure d;

`Figure 'l is a further modification illustrating the invention; and A Figure t is a view disclosing means, supplementing the manually operated means, for holding the clutch disengaged and operative to control the engagement or the clutch.

Referring to the drawings illustrating the ihvention in detail, it represents a clutcnhousing bolted or otherwise secured to a transmission housing it. The clutch housing has positioned therein a driving shaft it tol which is lreyed or otherwise secured a nywheel it constituting the driving element of a friction clutch. Journalled in the end of the driving shaft is a driven shaft it, the latter being splined as indicated at 2li, and positioned for movement on the splines is a conventional clutch driven element'tt adaptable for cooperation with the ywheel, when the clutch is engaged. The driven shaft has positioned thereon a collar it in direct thrust engagement with the clutch member lli, the collar being nor- 25 mally thrust against the member 'i2 by a suitable clutch spring tt sleeved on the driven shaft it. As shown, the collar it is provided with a circumferential groove tu in which is slidably pivoted a lever it, the latter being provided with a slot di receiving a trunnion pin 34. This lever has one end pivoted on the crank case as indicated at fili, and the iree end of the lever has mounted thereon a roller bearing 38. interposed between the lever and a suitable stop til on the crank case is an auxiliary spring d2 to take the weight oi the pedal off of the throw-out bearing provided. by the slot 32. Pivoted on the crank case is a clutch pedal lever M having a cam 46 adaptable tor cooperation with the roller bearing tt on the lever 3d.

in the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 3, the clutch member 22 is normally held in engagement with the flywheel i6 by a plurality of springs llt interposed between the member 22 and suitable brackets 50 on `the clutch housing. In this modification the collar 24 is moved against actuating levers or so-called fingers 52 by a bell crank lever Elpivoted on the clutch casing. This lever has one arm E6 in direct thrust engagement with the collar 24, and mounted on the end'of the otherrarm of the bell crank lever is a roller 58 arranged for cooperation with a cam 60 on the, pivoted end of a clutch pedal lever l2. The operating lever basa projection 94 connected by a lil suitable spring 66 to a fixed support 8l on the crank case. The angularity o! the arm IB is preferably adjustable by a worm III to compensate for clutch wear, the remaining arm of the lever maintaining a ilxed position in the clutch disengaged position of the lever 62.

Figures 4, and 6 illustrate a further modication of the invention. In this modiilcation collar 24 is held in direct thrust engagement with the clutch driven member by the spring 2i. The collar has a circumferential groove in which is positioned a yoke 12 pivoted on the clutch casing,.as indicated at 14. Yoke 12 is constructed of two strap members shaped as disclosed in Figure 5 and housing between them the collar 24, rollers 18 being provided on the Ystraps to contact the collar. 'I'he yoke has positioned thereon at its end a `roller 1l adaptable for cooperation with a cam l0, on one arm of a clutch pedal lever I2. As shown, this arm is shaped to provide both the cam I0 and an extension 84, to which is attached a spring It connected to a ilxed support Il on the casing.

Btlll a further modication of the invention is illustrated in Figure 'I wherein the collar 24 is connected by a toggle l0 to a Ilxed support I2 on the clutch casing. 'Ihe knee of the toggle has positioned thereon a roller I4 adaptable for cooperation with a cam on one arm of a clutch pedal lever I8. The cam is connected by a suitable return spring Ill to a xed support N2 on the casing.

In all of the disclosed embodiments the cam on the clutch pedal lever is so shaped and said lever, together with its cooperating` levers, so constructed and arranged that a constant or substantially constant force is required to actuate the clutch pedal until the clutch plates are separated, and thereafter a progressively decreasing force is required to complete the throw of the pedal. This result is accomplished, inasmuch as the point of contact of cam 46 and roller Il approaches a straight line drawn between the pivotal axis of the member 46 and the center of the roller. Expressed in other words, the lever members are so constructed and arranged that the perpendicular distance or moment arm, between the pivotal center of the clutch pedal lever and the line of movement of the aforementioned point of contact, remains a constant until the clutch plates are separated, whereupon said distance progressively changes to progressively de.

crease the force required to complete the throw of the pedal lever.

In both the preferred and modified forms of the invention the operation is substantially the same. It will be observed that with operation oi' the pedal lever the applied force is transmitted to the control member for actuating the lcollar to move the same either forwardly or rearwardly to disengage and engage the clutch and that, owing to the cooperation of these elements, there is required a very light pedal pressure to hold the clutch out of engagement. It will also be observed that the pressure required to operate the pedal is approximately uniform throughout the clutch disengaging stroke of the pedal.

It will further be observed that the pressure required to maintain the clutch disengaged is at a minimum at the end of the stroke, thus relieving the driver of considerable fatigue in the operation' of the clutch in trame.

It will further be observed that in the modincation disclosed in Figure 3 the clutch arm 56 is so adjustable and so shaped at its end as to maintain an unvariable operation of the clutch operating mechanism irrespective of normal clutch wear.

There is disclosed in Figure 8 a further feature o! the invention wherein the diaphragm I 04 of a dashpot N6 is operatively connected by rod |08 to the lower arm of the clutch pedal l44` of the modication of Figures 1 and 2. The casing of the dashpot, which may be xedly secured to any convenient portion of the chassis, is provided with an inwardly opening check valve IIB and an adjustable bleed valve i I2. Should the driver, by virtue of the relatively small amount of physical effort necessary to-maintain the clutch disengaged, release the clutch too suddenly or perchance should his foot accidently slip of! of the clutch pedal, the dashpot mechanism would nevertheless insure a regulated engagement of the clutch; this by virtue of the bleed of air from the valve H2. 'Ihus the rate of engagement would be limited to a predetermined maximum speed. The one-way check valve H0, of course, permits an unobstructed manual disengagement of the clutch. The rate of clutch engaging movement of the clutch pedal would, by virtue of the heretofore described cam or lever structure, be variable to provide a relatively fast engagement of the clutch during the rst phase of the throw of the clutch pedal and a relatively slow engagement when the clutch plates are in contact and moving into driving engagement. The dashpot of Figure 8 may be incorporated into any of the remaining embodiments of the invention. g

Although this invention has been described in connection with certain specific embodiments, the principles involved are susceptible of numerous other applications that will readily occur to persons skilled in the art. The invention is, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Clutch operating mechanism for an automotive clutch comprising driving and driven elements, and spring operated means acting on said driven element comprising, in combination, a. lever member connected to said spring operated means, said member being provided with a roller at one of its ends, and a foot operated lever member provided with a cam at one of its ends contactible with said roller, said lever members. together with the remaining structure, being so constructed and amused that to eifect a disengagement oi the clutch a constant or substantially constant force is required to operatie said foot operated lever until the aforementioned driving and driven clutch elements are separated, and thereafter a progressively decreasing force is required to complete the throw of said foot operated lever member.

2. Clutch operating mechanism for an automotive clutch comprising driving and driven elements, and spring operating means acting on said driven element comprising, in combination, a two-part yoke member surrounding said spring operating means, and a manually operable lever member operatively connected to said yoke member, said lever member, together with the remainling structure, being so constructed and arranged that to eect a disengagement of the clutch a constant or substantially constant force is required to actua said lever member until the aforementioned driving and driven clutch elements are separated. and thereafter a proannessi said driven clutch element, and a second lever operable upon said aforementioned lever, said levers having contactible lever arms of such contour and the levers being otherwise of such construction and arrangement that, to elect a coinplete clutch disengaging movement of said yieldable means, a uniform or substantially uniform force is required to operate said Erst-mentioned lever means during the hrst phase of the clutch disengaging operation of the yieldable means and a progressively diminishing force is required to operate said first-mentioned lever to complete the clutch disengaging movement of the yielszll0 able means.

ADIEL Y. DODGE. 

